Healthcare improvements for Central Beds 'potentially hitting a brick wall'
A local authority’s attempts to secure better healthcare facilities in parts of Central Bedfordshire has been compared to “potentially hitting a brick wall” by its health portfolio holder.
The BLMK integrated care board (ICB) infrastructure strategy was signed off last June, Central Bedfordshire Council’s health and wellbeing board was told.
“It was important to finalise this to set out a clear set of priorities for health infrastructure in BLMK, including Central Bedfordshire,” according to the iCB’s associate director of estates Nikki Barnes. “It’s a living document and we expect it to flex and adapt,” she said.
There would need to be £3bn expenditure over the next ten years to achieve all its ambitions for the area, a sum which is unrealistic, she suggested.
At a full council meeting 24 hours later during open questions, Liberal Democrat group leader and Leighton Linslade South councillor Shaun Roberts explained: “Both Bedford and Milton Keynes are fortunate enough to have hospitals, while Central Bedfordshire has none.
“Our residents often have to travel long distances just to get basic healthcare. Yet both Bedford and MK seem to have significant new health projects now underway, in addition to these hospitals.
“Here in Central Bedfordshire, we’ve none. Why are Bedford and MK seemingly making progress in this area when Central Beds seems to be stuck with nothing?”
Independent Ampthill councillor Mark Smith replied: “We’ve heard this week from the BLMK ICB about its infrastructure plan.
“It does irk me that some of the diagnostic provision is going to be in Bedford and Luton. The thinking behind this is probably around the rail routes.
“You travel in Central Beds from Ampthill and Flitwick into Luton easily by train, and it’s the same again with Bedford.
“That doesn’t help us because how do you get to Luton or Bedford, if you live in Leighton Buzzard? Likewise if you live in Biggleswade or Sandy? It’s something we raise in our meetings with the ICB.
“We’re potentially hitting a brick wall in terms of this. We constantly advocate for better healthcare provision, but it’s not easily solved.”
Councillor Roberts asked whether councillor Smith would speak to his opposite numbers at Bedford Borough Council and Milton Keynes Council “to understand just what they’re doing and how they might perhaps be getting more out of the ICB than we currently are, and report back to scrutiny here on what you’ve learnt”.
Executive member for adult social care and health councillor Smith added: “I can commit to that. I regularly speak to my opposite numbers, so I’ll definitely take that forward.”
Cllr Pat Hamill, Reform UK Houghton Regis East, wondered “why Houghton Regis isn’t flagged up as the number one area for a health hub as there’s only one doctors’ surgery, which is oversubscribed and serving areas of deprivation”.
Councillor Smith said: “Unfortunately the ICB infrastructure strategy sets out that this is needs based.
“I’ll pass on details of your constituents’ experiences in our talks with the ICB, which is going through quite a significant restructure at present.
“That’s the actual reconfiguration of BLMK into the Central East ICB, of which we’re a small constituent part. That concerns me.”